Mount Sanqingshan National Park

Introduction

Mount Sanqing is a renowned Taoist sacred mountain located 40 kilometres north of Yushan County in Jiangxi Province, China with outstanding scenery. Sanqing means the "Three Pure Ones" in Chinese as Mount Sanqing is made up of three main summits: Yujing, Yushui, and Yuhua, representing the Taoist trinity.

A Chinese phrase “三峰峻拔、如三清列坐其巅” (“Three steep peaks, like the Three Pure Ones sit the summits”) explains why it was named San Qing. Amongst the three hills, the Yujing hill (1,817 metres above sea level) is the highest.

Mount Sanqing has been classified as a national park of China. It is a famous honeypot as well as a shelter for animals and plants. It contains more than 2,300 species of plants and 400 species of vertebrates. The total area of Mount Sanqing is 229 km². It became a National Geopark in 2005 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

Geography

The Mount Sanqingshan National Park holds an outstanding scenery of granite peaks and pillars. The area also has numerous waterfalls, valleys, lakes and springs. The massif is covered with temperate forest, home to rare and endangered plant species. Its visual impact is enhanced by the ocurrence of meteorological effects like bright halos on clouds and white rainbows.